The invention relates to fire protection sprinklers.
An automatic fire sprinkler has a body with an outlet that is normally closed by a plug, the plug being held in place by a heat-activated trigger mechanism, and an orifice which is normally coincident with or just upstream of the outlet.
Automatic sprinklers of the upright type also have a substantially horizontal water distribution deflector that faces the outlet. When a sufficiently elevated temperature is sensed, a thermally responsive element which normally retains the plug in a closed position releases the plug, a vertically directed stream of water (downward for pendent sprinklers and upward for upright sprinklers) discharges from the outlet orifice towards the deflector. The water impacts and is diverted generally radially downward and outward by the deflector, breaking up into a spray pattern, the shape of which is, in large part, a function of the deflector configuration, the water being projected over the intended area of coverage, i.e., the protected area.